End Scene

I didn't blog, but I ran 19.9 miles last week.  2 more miles than organized by my training plan, and about 19.9 more than I did in the same week last year.  I got in a couple of glorious runs in Indiana, and felt like a total badass as I shaved a half a minute off of my pace time without even working that hard.  It was fun!

I also got to meet my new nephew.  He likes being held while I do squats.  If he lived closer to me, I would have a derriere that you could bounce quarters off of...though I'm pretty sure that isn't the sole reason I would love having the little guy around.  He's awesome and beautiful and I swear I am not biased!

I have also been well pantsed this holiday season.  I got  a too good to be real, totally amazing,  0-40 degree pair of pants with a holiday bonus gift card from my employers. THEN I got another gift card which was used to supreme advantage (total savings of 54% off all purchases) to get 2 more pairs of tights and a pair of capris.  Now my running is going to have to live up to the quality of my gear.  Still, after a year of pretty solid running, I think this whole running thing is going to stick. 

According to my Garmin, I've run over 100 miles this month...in December of 2012, I ran a smidge over 47.  That's an improvement that I could get excited about.  Tomorrow will be about setting goals, but today is about celebrating the last year of running, my first half marathon, and maybe sticking with something long enough to have a vague sense of belonging and identity.

Everywhere you go...

PEOPLE!!!  Everywhere!!!  The holiday season on full-tilt, no holds barred.  I wish there was a way to show someone how very hard you worked for their gifts.  I went to get one last gift yesterday, and braved the mall to do it.  If that's not love an dedication, I don't know what is!

I did get my scheduled runs in this weekend.  Both were on the treadmill, though I probably could have done today's run outside if I had waited, as it got quite warm. 

Yesterday's long run (on the 'mill) was 9 miles.  This is starting to feel good as my long runs are almost bordering on something resembling what I would call a "long run".  Nothing fancy, just put in the miles.

Two hiccups though...First, I had to go to the bathroom at mile 4 and the treadmill reset before I got back--so not quite sure what my overall pace/time was, but i guestimated it out and it was right where I needed it to be.  Not anywhere near as fast as last week's long run, but solid all the same.  I find that it is harder to run by feel on the treadmill and my paces tend to be a touch slower. 

 Hiccup 2--I wasn't as careful about my hydration as I should have been, and I had to spend the rest of the day catching up--something to work on next time.  No excuses for not hydrating properly when you're on a treadmill and don't have to carry that stuff!

Fueling wasn't an issue, which made me SUPER happy.  Last year I was finding that anything longer than 8 miles without a strict fooding schedule made me sick.  This time, I snarfed a couple of tablespoons of raisins at mile 4 and seemed to be good to go.

Today's run was really solid for a general run EXCEPT...kind of blew the whole recovery run pacing thing and went pretty hard.  Right knee is being a little niggly, so I went ahead and doped up on Ibu and iced it for a bit.  I'll want to keep an eye on it, and it's probably good that next week is a reduced mileage week.  It's aches and pains like this that really make me wish that I actually knew something about sports training and self care. 

I also overshot the training plan by a couple of miles this week-- one run was overlong because I was having fun, one because I needed to give a crappy run the bird, and one because I ran for time instead of distance.  Still...I need to work on sticking to the plan a little better.

Next week will be interesting.  I have two medium length runs (medium at this point in training anyway) planned for Tuesday and Wednesday.  Barring pain issues or the apocalypse, I should pull them off with no problem.  I have short runs planned the rest of the week, but I don't know realistically if I will be able to get them in.  I've already given myself permission to miss them if it doesn't work out with the travel schedule.  It really depends on whether or not I have access to decent weather and/or excessive facilities. Oh, and I'm SOOOO jealous that the weather where I live will be nice the whole time I am gone, and it is supposed to be crappy where I am going!

Still, home for the holidays will be amazing--despite my whining, I am SPECTACULARLY excited about going to see my family.  I will get to meet my new (and first!) nephew, see my extended family (It's been a year), my immediate family (it's been about half a year), and get to connect with the people I love.  It's been a rough year, and real hugs are better than phone hugs. 

And the horse you rode in on!

Because I not only personify/anthropomorphize running, I also yell at it.  I didn't want to run today.  Were I a 3 year old, I would have lain on the ground, beat my hands on the floor and refused to go.  Unfortunately, I am a bit more than 10 times 3, and such behavior is generally addressed by having the opportunity to hang out with nice large men in white coats who brandish soft words and sharp needles.  So, I did what any "reasonable" person would do---I had a nice little argument with myself within the confines of my own skull and coerced myself to go. 

The arguments against a run were ticking off in my brain at rapid pace as I engaged in my onerous (read, 4 minute walk) home from work-
1. I hadn't had nearly enough to drink today, in fact I was about one Nalgene short of my usual consumption.
2. I binged on chocolate kisses all day and I had a tummy ache.
3. Work sucked--nothing bad happened, but nothing good happened either.
4. The weather which was supposed to be nice was actually windier and colder than I had anticipated....not bad, but not the glory that I had been hoping for.
5. I was just Mr. Cranky Pants all-friggin-day and I really just wanted to sit on my couch in my pajamas watching bad television.

These arguments were crap and I knew it.  I also know that I have just recently gotten back in the proverbial saddle and started running with a training plan again.  I know that "I don't want to" is the first step in letting the whole physical fitness thing go down hill.  So I mentally bribed myself with a "you'll feel better when you are done".  This was complete and utter bull. 

This run sucked.  I hated every stinking moment of the first 4 miles. I stopped 3 times during that time and was tempted to walk away from the treadmill.  I actually walked for about a minute at one point.  The last mile I finished out of sheer spite.  My overall pace time was fine.  Nothing to write home about, but nothing to be terribly ashamed of either. 

I didn't feel better when it was done...I just felt tired...and sweaty...and irritated.  Still, I finished it.  Ultimately, that's all that matters.  And in some ways, I think it is the bad runs that matter.  Anyone can do the perfect run.  It takes dedication to do the suck run.

Lazy

Okay, so I got off the training plan today.  I really thought that it was a 5K run day, but it turns out I should have rocked the 3.5M, not 3.1M.  Of course, I didn't realize that until after I had a shower, and I  REALLY, REALLY considered hopping on the treadmill for another 1/2 mile, but just didn't have the motivation...SIGH.  The good news is that yesterday's run was a bit overzealous in the mileage department so I don't technically need to make it up.  The better news is that the weather is supposed to be splendid, so I should get another nice outdoor run in tomorrow.

I'm still trying to figure out what I should do about the holidays.  I will be going home for 4 days, 3 of which are usually training days.  The weather will probably be in the low to mid 30s there.  Unless Santa brings me running tights, I don't really have the gear to run in that kind of weather, and I'm pretty sure that my family would think I was insane.  Here's to hoping that I can con someone into letting me guest pass at the Y there at least a couple of times and that the schedules have some room for even a couple of half hour runs...we'll see. The good news is that I have scheduled that time as a reduced mileage week anyway.  Rumor has it that one needs to do that now and again to prevent injury, facilitate growth and all of that good stuff. 

Today's run was...blah.  The times weren't bad, but they weren't great relative to yesterday's run of awesomeness.  There always seems to be a bit of a let down when I have a series of awesome runs followed by a more normal run.  I try to remind myself that it's about the long term patterns, not just a single run or two that defines ultimate success or failure. 

Hopefully a mid-distance run tomorrow will feel good, and if I can hit my goal paces for the rest of the week, I will be pleased.  Some day (when I have money and the student loan people don't own my soul), I will probably take the effort to invest in some training by a real professional.  I have a lot of ambition, and a desire to get better, but don't really know how to successfully push myself into faster running without a)not trying hard enough and not achieving my potential or b)trying to hard, injuring myself, and making the entire experience unpleasant.

Here's to finding a groove and sticking to it!

Crush

My relationship with running is a lot like my crushes in high school.  You know...geeky, awkward me in the corner yearning to be like the calm, cool, collected, popular girl in the corner.  Running is my ultimate crush.  I love her.  The way she talks, the way others seem to dance through with ease, the way she seems to be perfect in every way.  And sometimes, like today, when I'm feeling out of control and hopelessly uncoordinated...she smiles at me. 

I had a grrr-arg kind of day.  One of those days that isn't really lousy for any particular reason.  Nothing went wrong, but nothing went particularly right either.  I was irritable, bitchy and generally angry at the world.  There has been a lot of uncertainty and transition in the last few months.  I got through the months of  immediate crises with a fair amount of grace, but now that the pressure has let off a bit...I find myself falling apart a bit. 

I had a tempo/interval run scheduled for today.  I'm using the terms somewhat interchangeably because I haven't done enough regularly variable training to really understand the differences between my paces under various time/distance/exertion rates (last year my goals were just to A-finish the race and B-not die.). 

Today, as previously mentioned, kind of generically sucked.  So I decided to throw away the neatly planned, color coded, treadmill speed driven training run.  I decided that it's early enough in the training plan that just logging the miles for the day would be sufficient.  I also decided that since I was tossing out the plan, that I could toss the treadmill too.  Today was to be a run just for me. 

I picked a relatively flat route (95 ft gain, 95 ft loss) because I didn't want to deal with the big hill on my other route.  I just wanted to run...and by jove I did!  I like the podrunner pod casts because they are beat heavy and don't have many lyrics.  Just noise to match my stride.  Try to keep the beat.  Miss the beat and just get back in sync.  I kicked the pants out of it!  I ran and I ran until my soul didn't hurt anymore.  1.3 miles over the planned training distance, but, whatever, it felt good. 

Today, I loved running, and she loved me back.

Recovery Shmecovery

This year's half marathon training plan includes 5 days of running instead of the 4 day plan that I was on last year.  I actually enjoy running, and the extra dose of running time does me good. 

HOWEVER, I'm told that moderation is key and a recovery run following the long run is a good way to work in some extra mileage without killing myself.  The problem is, it REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY irks me to go slow.  If I was some sort of lightning diva, it would be another story, but the suggested paces for my recovery runs are SO SLOW feeling I'm almost embarrassed to run on the treadmill, in the relative dark of my apartments tiny workout room, at 8:30 on a Saturday morning...and trust me, the odds of a conscious person seeing me and/or giving a crap are about the same as me running a marathon at a 6:00 minute pace--read "nil".

Still, I did scale it back pretty substantially on my recovery run today, at about a minute slower than yesterdays (insanely fast for me!) long run pace. What really irked me was this minute slower, less than half the distance run sucked about 900 times more than yesterdays glorious-stars-are-in-alignment run.  Okay, so today's run wasn't that bad, but when I find my mind wandering, or myself getting frustrated with how my body feels, I want to run faster.  It was a greater feat of will to keep the pace slow today than it is to push myself to go faster under most circumstances.  But I did it, and this is why I ran on the treadmill...because I could force myself to hold a pace without pretending that I "didn't notice" how fast I was going. 

Still, it is done, and I'm proud of myself for sticking with my assigned run rather than just doing the insanity that I craved.  I also did it on an empty stomach, which was probably stupid and made me more cranky than usual.  There was a bagel with cream cheese afterward though, which made it all worth while. 

It's nice today, so I'll be heading out with AMA to go do a leisurely bike ride.  I like to think of these rides as "walks on wheels", since we go at a sloth like pace.  Should feel good on the legs!

Hot Hot Hot!

Don't get all excited now...I promise that Santa didn't bring me any plastic surgery for Christmas...but MAN!  was today a good day. 

I went out for my long run this morning after compulsively hitting the refresh button on weather.com until it said that it was somewhat reasonable outside.  Okay, I actually left 5 degrees earlier than my original target temp, but I was quite excited about going for a run.  While I usually do my mid-week training runs in the evening, my long runs are almost always first thing in the morning.  The waiting was killing me today, but I don't have the right gear to run outside at much below freezing.  27 was close enough for this morning. 

I ran a route that I sometimes have trouble with--for some reasons I have had more "bad runs" on that route than any other.  I don't know if it's because I psych myself out with the bad juju of the past, or if it's because it is on a slight uphill and I have a tendency to start out way too fast.  The fast start/positive  split thing is a problem I have, so I figured that a relatively low mileage long run was as good a time to work on it as any.  Today was certainly a good day!  Negative splits in the first and  last half (though my slowest mile was in the middle?) AND I beat my own personal 10k time!

Then later I went shopping with my dear partner (AMA).  He was looking for shoes, but alas, the New Balance Store didn't have the shoes he wanted and the idiot in the store suggested that he try an old-man pair in lieu of the ones he wanted.  You know the ones I am talking about--all white, all leather uppers?  Yeah, not really a winner.  The good news was that I was able to verify his size so I can order the ones that he wants online.  While he will never be a runner, he does need some shoes that aren't so threadbare they have holes and the plastic heal insert is exposed.

After a less than successful trip to the shoe store, we went to the Go Lite store, because it always makes me happy to browse all of the pretties.  Rather unexpectedly, AMA announced that I needed a hat to wear running.  Evidently the rolled up balaclava I rocked this morning was an unacceptable substitute for a hat.  So...as an early Christmas present, I now have my own super-spiffy running hat!  I hope my running can live up to such a wondrous marvel of wicking technology!

On the Streets Where I Live!

I love, love, love living in Denver.  Really, there is no place on earth I would rather be! (To the point that it inspires me to poorly and impulsively rework the lyrics to show tunes to meet my needs).  Today was a glorious more-than-50-degrees.  Far better than the sub zero of last week. 

I am lucky, too, that my boss decided that we should break early for the day. I bounded out of the office at  2:45 or so, threw on my running gear, and headed out to the bike path.  I grinned like an idiot the whole time (perhaps not the most politically correct term, but really folks, I was pretty darn happy). 

I abandoned the whole idea of intervals, because truth be told I don't run intervals well when I'm not on a treadmill.  I am sure that this is a skill I should develop, but today was not that day.  Today was not a day to get serious, rather it was a day to play and revel in the glory of an amazing time and place.  Still, my pace time was pretty darn awesome, at about 20 seconds faster than I usually run. I also overshot my training plan/scheduled distance by 25%, but I really was having too much fun to quit when I should have. 

Fingers crossed...it should be awesome weather this weekend, so I should be able to get the training run outside! 

Easy Running?

I love that the more that I run, the more I want to run.  It's an important life lesson, remembering to put forth the effort to do the things that make us feel good.  I had a long, boring day at work, and looking forward to the evening's run was what kept me going.  It's also the one thing that I know will let me feel like there was an accomplishment for the day. Set a goal, achieve it.  It really is that simple...especially as a distance runner.  I keep reading that getting the miles in that really makes the difference. 

Today's run was supposed to be an "easy" run.  I confess that I'm not particularly good at these, particularly on the treadmill.  I like numbers.  I like to see the progression of numbers always increasing.  It really gets my goat a bit that my "average weekly pace" is going to go down this week because I did the monster hill run yesterday.  I may need to rethink that as an indicator of improvement--still, it's nice to see improvements in pace! 

My run tonight was good and solid.  I may try some intervals tomorrow, but I don't think that I can do crazy tempo runs and crazy hill runs in a week that only has 5 running days.  My body is a bit cranky today, but I'm not crippled by any stretch of the imagination.  I really was kind of afraid last night that I wouldn't be able to walk up the stairs today, so this is a good thing. 

Good news too!  Tomorrow should be warm enough for an outside run...maybe a break from the numbers will be good for me.

Wowza Owza!

Today was my first treadmill based hill run day.  I have read (on the internets, so it must be true!), that running hills is good training for distance runners.  So, I carefully selected a well thought out plan, adjusted the pace to meet my sloth-like needs and gleefully looked forward to this evening's innagural hill treadmill hill run.  Whee!  Out of control, but safe! 

I actually failed to hit my goal paces during the last half of the run, but that was due to an overly enthusiastic planning and naivete about the specific incline pattern--I'm actually proud of the run itself!  It reminded me that I am capable of pushing myself pretty hard, and reminded me of what a "hard effort" really is all about. It also reminded me that I use very, very naughty language when motivating myself to work hard.  Really, the combinations my brain comes up with are quite astounding.

I'm curious to see how my body reacts tomorrow.  I've got a easy run scheduled just to shake the legs out, and it should be warm enough to go outside.  Also, my piriformis is acting up again, so it's back to the clams...no more Lazy Mc-Lazerson on the self care front. 

So tell me...what do you do to challenge yourself when you are feeling cocky?

An Introduction

I could introduce myself, but I'm not that interesting.  I do however, anthropomorphize my gear. 

Georgianna Wilson is the ball that gets me through the days after long training runs and the runs that I run faster than I should.  This is  a picture of her cousin, since I don't have a picture of her.   They look a lot alike, except her name is printed on her in black sharpie.  I call her "Georgie" for short. This is weird, and I get that.  The good news is that my partner understands my sickness.  He calls her Georgie too, and understands when I would rather roll on the floor with her. 

"Oh Shit" was named when I first got him...actually before I bought him...as I tried him out for the first time in the middle of the REI.  For the record, I'm not usually in the habit of shouting profanity in public.  Just after my first (and only so far) half marathon, I met my periformis.  Oh Shit and I became very good friends shortly thereafter, and it was love at first---oh shit.



I am not, nor will I ever be, a "runner".  I will, however, jog gleefully through as many days as my feet and life will allow.  My intention behind this blog is to stay accountable to myself through all aspects of my training.  I'd like to run a second half marathon in spring of 2014 and do a full in the fall of 2014.  We'll see where I can go from there.